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The 2012/13 National Scheme Annual Report, which includes a report from the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia, has been published.

2012/13 National Scheme Annual Report published

The 2012/13 Annual Report of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the National Boards has been published.

The report details the work of the National Boards and AHPRA in implementing the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme over the 12 months to 30 June 2013.

There are now more than 590,000 health practitioners registered to practise in Australia – an increase in all professions and more than ever before – with one in 20 working Australians a registered health practitioner.

‘The National Scheme has a significant impact on the lives of many Australians – directly on all health practitioners who are registered to practise, and indirectly through our work to protect public safety and maintain professional standards,’ AHPRA Agency Management Committee Chair Peter Allen said.

‘The ongoing, effective functioning of the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme is a reflection of the partnership and collaboration between AHPRA and the National Boards,’ Mr Allen said.

For the Chinese medicine profession the report reveals that:

4,070 Chinese medicine practitioners were registered at the end of June 2013

30 notifications (concerns/complaints) were received about Chinese medicine practitioners and of these 17 were lodged in NSW where there is a co-regulatory system1

14 notifications were closed by the end of June 2013, including 10 cases in NSW and elsewhere in Australia

of the four notifications closed under the National Scheme, the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia determined:

to take no further action in two cases

that the case was to be retained and managed by the health complaints entity in the relevant state or territory in one case, and

that conditions be imposed on one practitioner’s registration.

the Board developed and published a large number of standards, codes and guidelines to guide the Chinese medicine profession, and

the Board developed draft accreditation standards and processes for consultation.

Chinese Medicine Board of Australia Chair, Professor Charlie Xue, said effective and proportionate regulation was the constant goal of all National Boards.

‘Every decision National Boards make consciously focuses on striking the right balance between public safety and facilitating access to health services,’ Professor Xue said.

‘This report explains the work we do, and accounts to the community and the health professions about how we do it,’ he said.

The annual report is published on the AHPRA website under Legislation and publications.

It includes a detailed report – including data – for the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia.

A media release about the report – with data across professions and jurisdictions – is published on the AHPRA website.